What Is It: Young individuals are reporting being targeted by scammers who are falsely advertising positions as nannies. The targets are responding to job ads posted on Craigslist looking for care providers. Once the targets have contacted the posters of the ad, they are seemingly vetted for the position. They are then told they have been hired, but need to have a background check. The targets receive a check for $1000, which they are told to deposit I their account. They are to keep $350 for initial payment and told to wire $650 to the “Environmental Protection Agency” for the completion of their background check. The check then bounces after the victim has wired the funds, leaving them without their $350 payment. In addition, they are now responsible for the $650 wire transfer, which has not gone to the EPA, but to the scammers.

What Are They After: Wired Funds

How Can You Avoid It: You should never have to pay to get a job. If a company is going to legitimately hire you, they will pay for a background check, if it is necessary. You should be especially careful when applying for jobs through sites like Craigslist and Backpage as they are not vetted and the actual sites have no liability for any wrongdoing. Avoid any job offer which requires you to pay a fee to apply and if this required for the application, do not apply.